“When I was really young, I was into Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker – guys like that,” he says. “I loved the guitar playing. I loved how punk rock it was – those guys just did whatever you wanted. I remember when I started playing that song, I was kind of doing it on tour to try and get people’s attention. Everyone’s got their own way around doing that. Some will try to do it as loudly as they can, but I’ve found that my instinct leads me to do the opposite. I like to play as quietly as I can and then lead people into my set that way.”
Late last year, Jurvanen released his third studio album under the Bahamas moniker, the simply-titled Bahamas is Afie. After gaining some of the best reviews of his career, the record was named Adult Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2015 (Canada’s ARIAs). In contrast to its lofty fortunes, the album comes from humble beginnings.
“The majority of these songs ended up being written in the kitchen,” says Jurvanen. “That’s where I tend to play most of my guitar, and I tend to want to play a lot if I’m working on a record. Ironically, I don’t get to play a lot on tour. You’re travelling most of the day, you actually play for maybe an hour at the end and then you’re exhausted. When I was off the road I would get up in the morning, make coffee and just play guitar all day. Some ideas were great, some were terrible, but I kept going.”
When it comes to the lyrics and central themes of Bahamas is Afie, Jurvanen says the majority of the songs stem from reflecting on the past – not so much in the sense of nostalgia, but more looking back at moments in your life and learning from them.
“When you’re in the thick of it, it’s easy to let your emotions get the best of you,” he says. “You do all kinds of things that you’d do differently if only you had more time. These songs are about time and perspective. You can look back on something and have an entirely new outlook on it. You can reflect on how something wasn’t as big a deal as you had originally made it out to be, or it can be the exact opposite. It’s about allowing enough time to pass in order for you to properly assess what went on in your own life.”
Jurvanen – along with his full band – will be touring through Australia in late September and early October. Although this is only Jurvanen’s second tour through the country as Bahamas, he initially made the trip when playing with another pseudonymous Canadian performer.
“The first time that I came out to Australia was as a part of Feist’s band. Of course the shows were great, and the people were great. The coffee, though, man… we couldn’t believe how great the coffee was. The food, too. For me, those are two of the most important things as far as visiting a new place is concerned. I think it’s a great foundation – if you have a great coffee spot or you come across a great meal that can be enough to make you remember that place as being amazing. That’s definitely what happened with Melbourne. Whatever you can grasp onto is what will make it the most memorable.”
BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG
